Chapter 3

The next day, I went back to visit my adoptive parents.

Unlike Serena’s hostile departure from the Harrington estate, my adoptive parents had cried their eyes out, holding my hands and telling me they’d always be my mom and dad, urging me to visit whenever I could.

So, I went back.

But to my surprise, the house was empty.

Not only that, all the flowerpots and shoe racks that used to be by the door were gone, as if they’d moved out.

I was startled and went to ask Mrs. Gable, our next-door neighbor.

"Oh, Maya, didn’t you know?" Mrs. Gable looked surprised too. "Your parents struck it rich recently! They moved into a big mansion with their biological daughter!"

I was still reeling from the shock of them moving without telling me when the elevator door next to me suddenly opened.

I heard my adoptive mother's familiar voice.

"Serena, you left something at the old house. I told you I’d get it, it’s so hot, why did you come yourself?"

I looked up and saw my adoptive mother warmly embracing Serena as they stepped out of the elevator.

They looked up and saw me, their smiles freezing.

"Maya?" My adoptive mother frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Her guarded, distant attitude was a stark contrast to the mother who had cried, begging me not to leave.

I subtly furrowed my brow but still spoke honestly.

"Mom, I came back to see you and Dad."

But to my surprise, my adoptive mother frowned even harder when she heard my words.

"Don’t you dare call me that," she said coldly. "I am Serena's mother. You are nothing to me."

I froze.

It was then I noticed that in just one month, my adoptive mother had transformed completely.

Not only had her style changed, but she was covered in expensive jewelry and designer clothes, looking utterly transformed. More importantly, the expression on her face was like that of a stranger I’d never known.

I was shocked by her change, but my adoptive mother paid me no mind. She simply spoke gently to Serena at her side, "Serena, go get your things."

Serena nodded obediently and quickly went into the house. She came out with a potted succulent and left with my adoptive mother.

As they entered the elevator, I heard Serena pretend to innocently ask my adoptive mother.

"Mom, why didn’t you talk to Maya more? It looked like she came back specifically to see you."

And my adoptive mother, completely unconcerned if I would overhear, immediately spoke with disdain.

"We raised her for so many years, and everything went wrong. The moment she left, your father’s business started to pick up. If you ask me, she’s a jinx. I hope I never get entangled with her again!"

I watched the elevator doors slowly close. In that moment, a certain bond in my heart snapped completely.